Dr. Anthony Fauci noted that his meetings with President Trump have declined “dramatically” as the country’s top infectious disease expert said the president would be “very happy” with a vaccine by the end of the year.

Fauci said in a interview published Monday that Trump doesn’t speak to him often about a vaccine – which could be a critical step in bringing the economy and society back to something close to its pre-virus standards.

He noted that the coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence met much less often – even when U.S. deaths from the disease exceeded 100,000 last week and the number of infections approached 2 million.

Dr. Anthony Fauci (r) Says His Meetings With The President Have ‘Dramatically Diminished’

It was during those meetings and once a day that Fauci became a regular on television.

“We had Task Force meetings every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, and we met with the President about 75 percent of the time after the Task Force meeting,” he said. Statnews in an interview.

“So I met him four times a week ago, about a month ago,” he noted.

“But as you’ve probably noticed, task force meetings haven’t been that often lately. And certainly my meetings with the President have dramatically decreased, “said Fauci.

There have been numerous occasions when Fauci’s public statements about lockdowns and the drug hydroxychloroquine seem to contradict what Trump has said publicly – a crack reporter sometimes tried to investigate during question-and-answer sessions.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump at a news conference with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force on April 5, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a recommendation that all Americans should wear masks or facials in public institutions. Fauci’s comments about hydroxychloroquine were much more cautious than Trump’s boosterism

President Trump avoided wearing masks in public and in some cases appeared to protest protesters for blockage

Fauci’s appearance waned after he contradicted Trump on hydroxychloroquine and called on Trump to ‘free’ states from lockdowns

Fauci has urged the American to distance himself and wear masks to stop the spread of the coronavirus

Trump called the drug a “ game changer ” in March and said in April that there were some “ very strong signs ” that it works against the corona virus. Trump has prevented Fauci from answering a question about the drug during a April 5 briefing. “He answered that question fifteen times,” said Trump.

Last month, Trump revealed that he used the antimalarial drug as a preventative for the coronavirus, which has been shown in a number of scientific studies to have harmful side effects and even caused an increase in deaths in those who use it.

Fauci has repeatedly called for ‘solid data’ and studies – without embracing Trump’s hopeful rhetoric that it could work.

Fauci is holding on to statements that, as a result of an emergency project to identify a functioning vaccine, it will be possible to become available by the end of the year – a timetable he said the President would be happy with. He said the normal time to produce one is about 18 months.

“I think the president and the administration would be really happy if we had a vaccine that we could use at the end of this year,” said Fauci. He said the first data with the vaccine developed by Moderna seems “promising.” He said he was concerned about the number of “side effects” when the drug is given in a high dose. He said it “seems like” the drug may be effective at a lower and safer dose.